APGA and OYE wins again as the Court of Appeal Kano Division today, 30/7/2021 grants them Leave to Appeal against the bizarre and infamous Jigawa Judgment of 30/6/2021.
Today, the Special Panel of the Court of Appeal Kano began by first dismissing the Preliminary Objection of Garba Aliyu, argued by D.D. Dodo SAN.
The Court held that the Preliminary Objection is misconceived and therefore dismissed it.
Having dismissed the Objection, the Court of Appeal went ahead to consider the merit of the Application for Leave to Appeal, filed by APGA and its APGA National Chairman, Ọzọnkpu Dr. Victor Ike Oye.
In a well considered Ruling, the Court of Appeal Kano granted APGA and our National Chairman, Ọzọnkpu Dr. Victor Ike Oye, the requisite Leave to Appeal against the Jigawa judgment.
The Court of Appeal Kano made the following specific Orders.
1. Leave to Appeal is granted APGA and OYE to appeal against the Jigawa judgment.
2. Accelerated Hearing of the Appeal is granted.
3. The Appellants have 24 hours to file and serve their Appellants Brief of Argument.
4. The Respondents have 3 days only to respond to the Appellants Briefs.
5. Weekends are included in the computation of the above days as stipulated.
Re: Cash Will Soon Be Obsolete. Will Nigeria Be Ready ? – Ndubuisi Anaenugwu
Things are moving too fast. Some 18 years ago, when I was a Bank Teller in Onitsha,Anambra State , third party money transfer was nonexistence . Bank Customers have to visit the bank to effect banking transactions including checking of account balances . As a Teller ,It was always a herculean task attending to hundreds of Customers every day for services such as verification of signatures ,checking of account balances ,checking of lodgements into customers’ accounts ,payment of cash etc. But with the revolution in the Nigeria payment system and introduction of bank verification number( BVN ) , the foundation for online banking was solidly laid .
To encourage e- banking and discourage cash handling , Central Bank of Nigeria initiated many control measures including cash handling charges and we have started seeing the effect everywhere with the deployment of point of sale ( POS) machines. This monetary policy efforts have reduced cost of handling cash as well as risk inherent in moving cash from one place to the other .
Is Nigeria ready for digital currency ? What are the advantages and disadvantages of digital currency in developing economy like Nigeria ? Would the introduction of digital currency mark the end of cash operations in Nigeria?
Before we respond to the above questions ,it is important to understand the operations of Mobile Money being operated today in Nigeria .Mobile Money simple means online money stored in mobile phone, application ,POS Machine etc from where banking transactions are executed. Such online storage of money is backed up with the money a customer has in the bank account. In other words, Mobile Phone/POS Machine serves as new bank house to facilitate banking transactions such as money transfers,checking of account balances ,account history ,receiving and payment of cash among others. We can see how effective the deployment of POS Machines have become even in our remote communities. The deployment of POS technology has created about a million jobs in the last one year. It has made banking operations hitch -free ,convenient and cheap as a bank customer can effect payment to anybody at comfort of his home .One can conveniently make purchases online among other uncountable online money transactions. It has covered areas where commercial banks were finding most frustrating to operate because of logistics issues thereby serving the interest of the ‘unbanked’ population. POS technology has taken off the street thousands of unemployed youths ,empowering them and increasing aggregate consumption,savings and investment. A POS operator beside my friend office makes an average of N3000 profit on daily basis. Consider the multipliers effect such financial activities will generate in the entire economy! Mobile Money operations in Nigeria have given hope to millions of frustrated and depressed Nigerians that it is possible to build a prosperous and viable future once the right political and economic decisions are taken and executed to the letters.
Mobile Banking has performed creditably well in the Nigeria payment system .However, even upon the success recorded in the deployment of mobile money applications and point of sale machines, Nigeria has a significantly large population without access to financial services. In 2017, it was home to 3.4% of the world’s unbanked people despite contributing 2.6% to the global population. Some progress has been made over the past decade to bring more Nigerians under the formal financial system, according to a report by EFinA, but the figures remain disturbing.
At the end of 2020, over 36% of the adult population (or 38 million adults) were unbanked as the central bank missed out on its 80% national financial inclusion target. In addition, just over 40 million out of an estimated 105.5 million Nigerian adults have bank verification numbers (BVN), an important metric for gauging how many people have access to financial services.
As at today,about 45% of Nigeria adults have no Bank Accounts and these population have no business with mobile money. This is a country where lawmakers proudly voted ‘no’ for the use of electronic devices to transmit election results for the simple reason that our telecommunication infrastructures are still underdeveloped.
A digital currency could be issued by the State or introduced by a Private Enterprise. Digital Currencies like Bitcoin is issued by a private enterprise for online exchange of goods and services. Much of the interest in these unregulated currencies is to trade for profit, with speculators at times driving prices skyward. Many companies have issued their own currencies, often called tokens, and these can be traded specifically for the good or service that the company provides. To buy cryptocurrencies, one needs a wallet, an online app that can hold currency. Generally, you create an account on an exchange, and then you can transfer real money to buy cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ethereum.
The legality of digital currency as a medium of exchange depends on monetary authorities. The Central Bank of Nigeria few months ago announced the ban of digital currency -crypocurrency because of fraudulent activities associated with it . But Prof Kingsley Moghalu,a former Deputy Governor of CBN dismissed CBN position insisting that no payment system is devoid of fraudulent and criminal practices .Moghalu advised CBN to consider the possibility of the issuance of its own digital currency as China, Sweden ,Uruguay and other countries are doing. Just few days ago ,CBN accepted Prof Kingsley Moghalu advice and announced the commencement of digital Currency to be called e-naira come October 1st .According to CBN, e-naira will make transactions cheaper with less conflict.
Godwin Emefiele,the CBN Governor confirmed that the economy is going digital and cash cannot play in that space, adding that e-naira, which will represent the digital equivalent of cash, will be used as fiat currency for transactions.
We can now try to address the economic implications of Mr Emefiele e-naira to ascertain the viability of digital currency in the developing economy.
Is Nigeria ready for digital currency such as e-naira? Yes ,Nigeria and Nigerians are ready for digital currency! From the success story of mobile banking in Nigeria , digital currency will induce more Nigerians to be part of rebuilding and rebranding processes. For instance , our pension account is now digitally controlled by pencom but managed by pension managers. Pension account is generated by Pencom and every Nigerian workers is expected to have one unique pension account. The same as National identity card with biometric features to identify and differentiate every Nigerians .With the deployment of these digital technologies, Nigeria is ready for digital currency.
Digital Naira is a monetary instrument that will exist alongside cash as just another monetary option. The effective and efficient deployment of CBN digital naira can mobilize Nigerians towards a desired destination to achieve set economic and political goals. For instance , if the Country wants to encourage citizen participation in the electoral process, a digital currency app will be created and funded with X- amount for anybody who register for voters card between 2021 and 2023 . The same could be done in the National identity card registration and this will facilitate the creation of a reliable data bank for the Country . Lack of reliable data is a major challenge facing Nigeria as a Country and digital currency could facilitate a stimulus package that will address that concern. CBN can use digital naira to serve the interest of the ‘unbanked’ population. Like Pension accounts created by Pencom and managed by Pension Managers, digital naira account can be created by CBN and managed by Commercial Banks and microfinance banks to achieve even and equitable distribution of income as well as induce consumption and stimulate economic activities.
Depending on the CBN application of digital naira , it will always exist alongside the traditional currency. However,the introduction of digital currency can only diminish or reduce the use of cash just as mobile money has done but the overall benefit could be seen from the demand and supply side of money market.
One of the cases filed against Hushpuppi in the U.S., the swindling of a Qatari man of $1.1m, has entangled super cop Abba Kyari, four other Nigerians and a Kenyan.
Among the Nigerians, is Deputy commissioner of police Abba Kyari, whose arrest by the FBI has reportedly been ordered by Judge Otis Wright of the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
This is despite Kyari’s denial that he collected money from Hushpuppi to do a hatchet job by arresting 40 year-old Kelly Chibuzo Vincent, a partner in the fraud.
Vincent is also now wanted in the case as FBI said three people in Africa are wanted, after the arrest of three U.S. based Nigerians.
The third person wanted is a Kenyan.
According to a statement by U.S. Attorney’s office in central California, a federal grand jury indictment unsealed this week alleges an elaborate scheme to steal more than $1.1 million from a businessperson attempting to finance the construction of a school for children in Qatar – and the subsequent laundering of illicit proceeds through bank accounts around the world.
The three-count indictment returned on April 29 and unsealed Monday charges three U.S.-based defendants, the Nigerians, who were arrested last week – as well as three defendants believed to be in Africa – with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to engage in money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.
The indicted three in Africa are Abba Kyari, Vincent and the Kenyan Abdulrahman Imraan Juma, a.k.a. “Abdul.
The three Nigerians based in the U.S., who have been arrested in the case are Yusuf Adeyinka Anifowoshe, Rukayat Motunraya Fashola and Tawakalitu Agbabiaka.
The criminal complaint that initiated the prosecution in February was also unsealed Monday, revealing that Ramon Olorunwa Abbas – also known by his social media handle of “Ray Hushpuppi” – was initially charged in this case. Court documents ordered unsealed today show that Abbas, a 37-year-old Nigerian national, pleaded guilty on April 20. A version of Abbas’ plea agreement filed late Tuesday outlines his role in the school-finance scheme, as well as several other cyber and business email compromise schemes that cumulatively caused more than $24 million in losses.
“The defendants allegedly faked the financing of a Qatari school by playing the roles of bank officials and creating a bogus website in a scheme that also bribed a foreign official to keep the elaborate pretense going after the victim was tipped off,” said Acting United States Attorney Tracy L. Wilkison. “Mr. Abbas, who played a significant role in the scheme, funded his luxurious lifestyle by laundering illicit proceeds generated by con artists who use increasingly sophisticated means. In conjunction with our law enforcement partners, we will identify and prosecute perpetrators of business email compromise scams, which is a massive and growing international crime problem.”
“Mr. Abbas, among the most high-profile money launderers in the world, has admitted to his significant role in perpetrating global BEC fraud, a scheme currently plaguing Americans,” said Kristi K. Johnson, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “His celebrity status and ability to make connections seeped into legitimate organizations and led to several spin-off schemes in the U.S. and abroad. Today’s announcement deals a crucial blow to this international network and hopefully serves as a warning to potential victims targeted with this type of theft.”
According to the indictment, Abbas allegedly conspired with Abdulrahman Imraan Juma, a.k.a. “Abdul,” 28, of Kenya, and Kelly Chibuzo Vincent, 40, of Nigeria, to defraud the Qatari businessperson by claiming to be consultants and bankers who could facilitate a loan to finance construction of the planned school. Juma allegedly posed as a facilitator and consultant for the illusory bank loans, while Abbas played the role of “Malik,” a Wells Fargo banker in New York, according to court documents. Vincent, in turn, allegedly provided support for the false narratives fed to the victim by, among other things, creating bogus documents and arranging for the creation of a fake bank website and phone banking line.
Yusuf Adekinka Anifowoshe, a.k.a. “AJ,” 26, of Brooklyn, New York, allegedly played a role in the fraud, assisting Abbas with a call to the victim posing as “Malik.” Special agents with the FBI arrested Anifowoshe in New York on July 22.
The conspirators allegedly defrauded the victim out of more than $1.1 million.
The proceeds of the fraud allegedly were laundered in several ways. According to the indictment, Abbas was assisted in laundering the proceeds of the fraud by Rukayat Motunraya Fashola, a.k.a. “Morayo,” 28, of Valley Stream, New York, and Bolatito Tawakalitu Agbabiaka, a.k.a. “Bolamide,” 34, of Linden, New Jersey. These two defendants also were arrested on July 22 by FBI agents.
Approximately $230,000 of the stolen funds allegedly were used to purchase a Richard Mille RM11-03 watch, which was hand delivered to Abbas in Dubai and subsequently appeared in Hushpuppi’s social media posts. Other illicit proceeds from the scheme were allegedly converted into cashier’s checks, including $50,000 in checks that were used by Abbas and a co-conspirator to fraudulently acquire a St. Christopher and Nevis citizenship, as well as a passport for Abbas obtained by creating a false marriage certificate and then bribing a government official in St. Kitts.
Court documents outline a dispute among members of the conspiracy, which allegedly prompted Vincent to contact the victim and claim that Abbas and Juma were engaged in fraud. After this contact, Abbas allegedly arranged to have Vincent jailed in Nigeria by Abba Alhaji Kyari, 46, of Nigeria. According to the affidavit, Kyari is a highly decorated deputy commissioner of the Nigeria Police Force who is alleged to have arranged for Vincent to be arrested and jailed at Abbas’ behest, and then sent Abbas photographs of Vincent after his arrest. Kyari also allegedly sent Abbas bank account details for an account into which Abbas could deposit payment for Vincent’s arrest and imprisonment.
Anifowoshe, Fashola and Agbabiaka were arrested in New York and New Jersey on July 22, and they are expected to be arraigned in Los Angeles in August. All three are currently free on bond.
Three Israeli filmmakers who were imprisoned in Nigeria for 20 days were released from custody Wednesday night, and boarded a plane for their journey back to Israel.
Nigerian authorities released the trio from prison Tuesday evening and handed them over to US custody. American embassy staff then took them to the local Chabad center to spend the night.
They were given their passports and phones just before their flight took off for Istanbul Wednesday night.
The three Israelis will arrive at Ben Gurion Airport Thursday morning at 8:50 am.
Rudy Rochman, a pro-Israel activist with almost 95,000 followers on Instagram, filmmaker Andrew Noam Leibman and French-Israeli journalist Edouard David Benaym were arrested July 9 while shooting a documentary in a separatist region of southeast Nigeria.
The Israelis were in Nigeria to film “We Were Never Lost,” a documentary exploring Jewish communities in African countries such as Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda and Nigeria. They were focusing on the Igbo Jewish community in Nigeria.
In a statement published on Instagram Wednesday night, the trio said that they were “wrongfully taken on Friday July 9th, 2021 at 7:30 AM (Nigerian time) to the local DSS facility in Anambra State, Nigeria where they were held for 24 hours before being transported to the DSS headquarters in Abuja, 9 hours away with dangerous trasport [sic].”
The DSS, or Department of State Services, is Nigeria’s internal security agency.
The men said they were taken into custody at gunpoint by “over a dozen” DSS men wearing black ski masks.
“Rudy, Noam, and David were caged and held for 20 days in horrendous conditions, locked into a small cell, sleeping on the floor with no access to showers or clean clothes. They were interrogated and mistreated without ever officially being arrested or accused of anything.”
The three men said in their statement that they were officially cleared of all wrongdoing, but were instructed by the Nigerian government to leave the country immediately.
The filmmakers spent three Shabbats in prison, and were provided with Kosher food by the local Chabad and members of the Jewish community. They were denied legal representation during their incarceration, according to members of the Jewish community with knowledge of the situation.
According to media reports, Nigerian authorities from the Department of State Services arrested and interrogated the trio on suspicion that they had come in contact with Biafran separatists.
One of the men entered Nigeria on a French passport, and the other two on American passports. This made it difficult for the Israeli embassy to get involved at the onset, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
The families of the three Israelis said Wednesday that local political elements had “twisted” the gifting of a Torah scroll to a local community to claim it constitutes support for separatist political ambitions.
The Torah scroll is currently with the local community.
The men took off from Ben Gurion Airport on July 5 and landed in Nigeria the next day.
According to locals, the crew was detained at a synagogue during services in the Igbo village of Ogidi. The Igbo consider themselves a lost tribe of Israel.
“The filmmaking crew thought it would be a nice gesture to bring several gifts with cultural symbolism to the communities it planned to visit,” the families said in their statement, adding that one of the gifts was the Torah scroll.
“Unfortunately, members of non-state political groups have hijacked for their own purposes images of the filmmakers gifting a Torah to a local community,” the families charged.
A relative of one of the men told The Times of Israel last week that separatist social media accounts had taken advantage of the Israelis’ trip to claim that the three were supporting Biafran separatist groups.
The documentary series “is designed to educate viewers about the religious and cultural experiences of lesser-known Jewish communities. Their goal is to interview members of Jewish communities across multiple African countries, along with Jewish communities in China, India, Afghanistan and elsewhere,” the families said.
This documentary is not intended to make any political statements about the countries in which filming will take place, nor does the filmmaking team endorse any political movements. The filmmaking crew acts as a guest visiting the country and its various communities – there are no political overtones,” they said.
The filmmakers were aware of the political sensitivity surrounding the filming of the Igbo community. Last Thursday, the “We Were Never Lost” Facebook page stressed: “We do not take any position on political movements as we are not here as politicians nor as a part of any governmental delegations.”
In January, a conflict broke out in southeastern Nigeria between Nigerian forces and the military wing of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement. The fight is ongoing.
A previous unilateral declaration of independence by the Igbo people in 1967 sparked a brutal 30-month civil war that left more than a million people dead.
In 2018, fugitive pro-Biafran separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu gave a radio broadcast saying he was in Israel and indicating he owed his survival to the Jewish state.
Kanu, a former London real estate agent, heads IPOB and the outlawed pirate radio station Radio Biafra. He maintains the Igbo people, who are in the majority in southeast Nigeria, are a lost tribe of Israel and it is his mission to lead them to the promised land of Biafra.
Kanu is facing treason charges in his homeland. He was arrested by Interpol in the Czech Republic in June 2021.
The naira slumped further to 523/$ at the parallel market on Wednesday, a day after the Central Bank of Nigeria stopped the allocation of foreign exchange to Bureau de Change operators in the country.
The naira, which exchanged to the dollar at 503 on Monday, fell to 505 on Tuesday, few hours after the CBN announced it would no longer sell forex to the BDCs and stopped approval of new licences to the operators.
According to naijabdcs.com, the official website of the BDCs, the dollar was bought at N515 and sold at N523 on Wednesday.
At the Investors & Exporters forex window, the naira hit a high of 413/$1 but closed at 411.60/$1.
The CBN, however, maintained the official rate of N410.16/$1 on its website.Before the new regulation, the CBN had been supplying each BDC $10,000 twice a week at the rate of N393.
After the Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Tuesday, the Governor, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, had accused the BDCs of abusing the privilege given to them and sabotaging efforts to ensure naira stability in the country.
Expressing the displeasure of the MPC, he said, “The facts abound that BDCs have turned themselves into agents that facilitate graft and corrupt activities of people who seek illicit fund flow and money laundering in Nigeria and we will go after all of them.
has berated members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for preaching violence in the country.
He made this known in Lagos on the sidelines of the 25th League of Airport and Aviation Correspondents (LAAC) conference.
Onyema said that those preaching violence and dismemberment of the country as cowards who would flee the country at the slightest opportunity.
He said, “For those of us preaching hate, Rwanda beckons on you. Rwanda that happened before beckons on you.
“When I talk about unity and peace, a lot of people might want to behead me but I don’t give a damn. But the truth is that when it happens those of them who want to see the country go up in flames might even be the victims.
You and me seated here criticise the President. When I am talking about unity and peace, preaching peace, I am not a coward. Anybody preaching violence is the biggest coward. So when we preach peace, it is not about we are cowards.
I am not saying there are no injustices in the country. We want a country where justice, equity and fairness actually reign, no doubt about that. But we can address these issues peacefully. Nobody ever knew that Niger Delta issues would come to an end at the time it came to an end.
More trouble has continued to loom for Nigeria’s Super Cop, Abba Kyari as a warrant of arrest has been issued for his arrest, Igbere TV has learnt.
Otis Wright of the United States District Court for the Central District of California ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to track down Kyari and produce him in the United States for his role in a multi-million dollar fraud perpetrated by Ramon ‘Hushpuppi’ Abbas, a notorious Nigerian fraudster.
Abbas was arrested in Dubai last June and he pleaded guilty to fraud in the U.S. this week. The FBI said Messrs Abbas and Kyari have been friends and were both involved in a conspiracy to launder money.
Mr Kyari was also indicted of receiving bribes from Mr Abbas to arrest a member of the syndicate in Nigeria.
American prosecutors first sought a court warrant to arrest Mr Kyari on February 12, 2021, according to court documents seen by The Gazette. Another warrant was requested on April 29, 2021.
Judge Wright’s permission for the FBI to arrest Mr Kyari and hold him in U.S. custody was unsealed on July 26.
Mr Kyari in a hurried statement denied allegations of conspiracy with Hushpuppi, saying he only met him two years ago and did not benefit financially from the fraudster.
…As a Special Panel of the Court of Appeal Kano hears Motion for Leave to Appeal and adjourns to Friday 30th July for Ruling.
The Special Panel of the Court of Appeal, set up by the President of the Court of Appeal, consisted of Tsammani JCA (presiding) Maiwada Abdullahi JCA and Musale JCA.
Today, July 28th 2021, the Special Panel of the Court of Appeal took arguments on the Application for Leave to Appeal filed by APGA and the National Chairman, Ọzọnkpu Dr. Victor Ike Oye.
The APGA/Oye legal team in Kano was led by Chief Wole Olanipekun SAN with Chief P.I.N Ikwueto SAN, Chief Steve Nwoga and Ifeanyi Mbaeri Esq all appearing for APGA and Oye.
One Umaru Siad Esq. purportedly announced appearance for APGA. He attempted to challenge APGA and Oye’s authority to file the Application for Leave on APGA’s behalf.
Upon serious reprimand by the Court of Appeal not to allow himself to be used and messed up by politicians, he withdrew his Motion and vanished.
After taking arguments from the parties, the Court of Appeal adjourned to Friday 30th July 2021 for Ruling.
Tex Okechukwu Esq.
National Publicity Secretary, APGA.
The former leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, Mujaheed Asari Dokubo has said that the name belated Nnamdi Kanu for his position on Biafra stressing that “Biafra has nothing to do with the Igbos.”
Asari, who’s the Chairman of Biafra Defacto Customary Government while appearing on AriseTV on Wednesday, said that the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB “is empty in his head” for demanding an Igbo Biafra noting that the name of the Republic of Biafra was suggested to the Eastern Consultative Assembly by an Ijaw man; Francis Opigo.
He said; “Ijaw is Biafra. Ijaws are divided between the Bight of Benin and and the Bight of Biafra. We are the owners of Biafra. Biafra is an Ijaw name, we own it.
The territory identified as Biafra is Ijaw. Maybe a little ibibios towards the end and Oron people.”
The real Biafra, the name Biafra, the geographical location Biafra is Ijaw and a little Oron and a little bit Ibibio.”
In 1967, the eastern ijaws were part of Eastern region. An Eastern consultative assembly was convoked in Enugu and Francis, an ijaw man gave the name ‘Biafra’, moved the motion that Biafra should be adopted. Francis Opigo’s suggestion was adopted on the 30th of May 1967, and the republic of Biafra was declared which included the eastern Ijaw within our territory.”
“So, Biafra has nothing to do with Igbos”
“The Biafran state that was declared in 1967 was not an Igbo state.”, he said.
Asari said Nnamdi Kanu rather than attempting to turn Biafra to Igbo Nation should seek for dialogue and cautioned against bringing religious division into the mix of Biafra restoration.
No fewer than 9,100 corps members have been mobilised to the seven states in the North-West amid rising insecurity in the region which has led to the murder of at least 189 persons and the abduction of 376 persons in Zamfara and Kaduna states alone.
Across the country, however, at least 430 persons were abducted while 344 were killed in the last four weeks, The PUNCH has learnt.
The states in the North-West include Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Kano, Sokoto, Kebbi and Jigawa states.
Other states affected by a spike in insecurity in July but are not part of the North-West include Benue, Niger and Adamawa.
The insecurity has led to the closure of schools in Kaduna and Zamfara states. Incidentally, most corps members are posted to schools for their primary assignment.
The PUNCH had reported last week that an average of 1, 300 corps members would be deployed in each state while another set would be deployed in late August.
The figure on the killings and abductions was obtained through a manual tally by The PUNCHand the Nigeria Security Tracker, a project of the Council on Foreign Relations’ an American think tank. The NST report is edited by a former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell.
In Zamfara State where a war plane was shot down by bandits recently, about 49 persons were killed in Maradun on July 8 while three were abducted in Bakura on July 11. On July 16, no fewer than 150 people were abducted while one person was killed in Shinkafi. On July 18, 13 policemen were killed in Bungudu while on July 23, bandits killed seven and kidnapped 14 in Maru. On July 25, at least 11 persons were abducted along Sokoto-Gusau Road, according to the police.
This implies that between July 3 and July 25, bandits killed 70 persons and kidnapped 178 persons in Zamfara State despite the ‘no fly’ order declared over the state’s airspace by the Federal Government four months ago.
In Kaduna State where Governor Nasir el-Rufai has shut down schools due to the insecurity and ongoing military operation to wipe out bandits, about 198 persons were kidnapped in the last four weeks while 119 were killed. The most affected local governments in the state include- Chikun, where 140 students of Bethel Baptist High School were kidnapped; Zangon Kataf, Maradun and Kajuru.
No fewer than 140 students were kidnapped at Bethel Baptist School, when bandits attacked the school on July 5, but the hoodlums only succeeded in taking 121 away as others escaped.
About seven soldiers were killed in Arewa, Kebbi State while in Jibia, Katsina State, two immigration officials were killed.
In Niger State where two police officers and two civilians were killed in Mariga on July 9, there was a decrease in killings and abductions in July although bandits held on to the 136 students abducted from one Islamic school in Tegina since May.
Adamawa State in the North-East, witnessed one major attack on July 7 when Boko Haram killed 24 persons in Hong, while in Plateau State, gunmen killed seven herdsmen in Jos South. Kidnappers also killed two persons in the same state on July 22. Herdsmen killed three in Bali, Taraba.
On July 15, bandits killed two soldiers and kidnapped 20 civilians in Sabon Birni, Sokoto. In Benue State, herdsmen killed five persons in Logo and 10 in Guma on July 18. On July 20, herdsmen killed 13 also Guma. The suspected herders killed 13 in Guma while 30 lost their lives in a communal clash in Konshisha. Also, kidnappers abducted two in Toto, Nassarawa on July 10.
Southern Nigeria witnessed a few incidents. On July 19, kidnappers abducted eight in Akuku-Toru, Rivers State. A soldier was killed by pirates in Delta State on July 19. On July 13, gunmen killed three police officers and two civilians in Idemlili North, Anambra. On the same day, gunmen killed six soldiers in Uzo-Uwani, Enugu. Cultists killed two police officers and eight others in Awka, Anambra on July 15 while one Amotekun leader and three others were killed in Ibarapa North, Oyo on July 16.
The Director-General of the NYSC, Brig. General Shuaib Ibrahim, in an interview with The PUNCH, allayed fears over security of the corps members.
He stated, “We do partner effectively with the security agencies on the security of prospective corps members and corps members. We had webinar meeting with prospective corps members and were also advised accordingly.”
In Benue State, the Public Relations Officer of NYSC, Benue State, Mrs Victoria Ogwuche, said potential corps members would not be admitted into the camp without being certified free of COVID 19.
She added that another round of test would be carried out before they (corps members) were admitted into the hostel.
Ogwuche stated, “They (new corps members) are being tested for COVID 19 and the results come out within 10 minutes, no corps member goes into the hostel without being tested. ,,
In fact, nobody comes to camp without being tested, it is only when you are certified free that you enter the camp, all the over 70 people tested were certified okay.
She added, “As soon as the result is out they are admitted into the hostel.”
The state Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Joseph Ngbea, in an interview with The PUNCH, said three people tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu on Tuesday, tasked state Ministries of Health to expedite action on contact tracing of persons who had had contact with those infected with COVID-19.
He said this in response to enquiries from The PUNCH, in Abuja. The NCDC through its Director of surveillance and Epidemiology, Elsie Ilori, had on Monday, disclosed that the country had identified 10 cases of the Delta variant of coronavirus disease in Nigeria.
According to Ilori who spoke during a media parley with selected journalists, the cases were discovered at the point of entry into the country.
Although she declined comments when asked to identify specific countries where the infected persons came in from, she stated that the NCDC was able to discover the cases after it carried out genomics sequencing on the test results after testing samples collected from inbound passengers.
In response to enquiries from The PUNCH as to what the NCDC was doing about contact tracing, the NCDC DG, Ihekweazu, reiterated that contact tracing was the responsibility of the various state ministries of health.
He said “Once a positive case is detected, contact tracing is done by the state ministry of health irrespective of the variant detected. We will continue to carry out sequencing to detect variants, and use this data to guide our public health action.”
